News

Changbaishan Wanda Open gets underway as local branded events light up the scene

2017-06-28

Beijing, June 28: A elite 118-men field from 16 different countries
will vie for a prize purse of ￥1,350,000 and a
five-star trophy at the Changbai Shan Wanda Open, which gets underway at the
picturesque Jilin White Birch Club on Thursday.

For the second straight year, players will shoot for glory at the
scenic White mountain, which is boasting a perfect weather of 22 degree Celsius
this week. The Changbai Shan Wanda Open has attracted a strong field, just like
the last two events on the China Tour.

Rak Hyun Cho, who won the season-opener, and Brighton Macpherson, who
won the tournament last week, will feature in the event alongside local
prospect Zhang Huilin, a two-time winner on the China Tour.

As the summer holidays get underway, the China Tour also welcomed a
host of young local amateurs returning home to participate in the event. They include
the likes of Zhang Huachuang, Xue Han, Dong Xueze, Wang Youxin and Jiang
Zhijie.

Xue, Dong, Wang and Jiang earned their spots through the Qualifier on
Tuesday. They represent a new force in the local golf scene and symbolize the
continuous development of the Tour.

LOCAL BRANDED EVENTS SHOW
POSITIVES

The 2017 China Tour season has seen the completion of two events, welcoming
new champions in Rak Hyun Cho of Korea and Bryden Macpherson of Australia.

Pang Zheng, Deputy Secretary General, China Golf Association, said: “We
have had some great drama, especially in the last tournament where we witnessed
the play-off duel between Cho and Brighton, who emerged victorious on the third
extra hole. The top-notch action shows the rise in playing standards on Tour,
which boast a fair and open platform that is on par with the international Golf
Tours.”

“We also see that the China Tour is like a platform for local players
and Olympic players to hone their skills. This week, we saw four amateurs
coming through the Qualifier with flying colours on Tuesday to earn their spots
in the tournament. This gives us hope in the development of the Tour. We
believe that we will be able to see the emergence of players like Li Haotong,
Liang Wen-chong, Wu Ashun in the near future.

“We hope to create more playing opportunities for our players through
the local branded events on our platform. This is also a good opportunity to
showcase the standard of golf in China to the world,” Pang added.

TEE SHOTS KEY TO SCORE IN
SECOND ATTEMPT AT THE WHITE MOUNTAIN

Mr. Ma Chunye, Senior Assistant to CEO of Wanda Group and General Manager of
Changbai Mountain International Resort, welcomed the Tour’s return to the Jilin
White Birch Club for the second straight year.

Apart from the beautiful golf course, the Changbai
Mountain resort is also the best ski resort in China, welcoming a total of
360,000 visitors in wintor last year. He said: “This year, we are hosting the
tournament at the Jilin White Birch Club. We are thinking if we should host it
at Pine Valley West next year. Perhaps it can be one of the official host venue
of the China Tour.”

Zhang, who missed out on the participation deadline of
the tournament last year, will be making his debut appearance at the Jilin
White Birch Club this week.

Zhang, who has yet to hit top form this season, hopes to play down his
expectations this week and treat it like any other tournament. “I have been
trying to fix my swing lately. Sometimes it’s good but sometimes it’s not. I
tend to get my good form only in the second half of the season. Hopefully my
good form will come sooner this time. I need to take advantage of these
tournaments these few weeks.

Zhang feels that this is a golf course that suits his game. “I hit it
pretty straight and it’s an advantage for me because the fairways are narrow here.
But having said that, putting will be the key to score on this golf course. Tee
shots come second.”

Chen Chang ping, the best finisher in tied-sixth place at last week’s
tournament, completed his practice round yesterday. He said: “You need to be cautious
with tee shots and putting here. The trees will affect your visuals when you
tee off. You must be careful with that. If you try to attack the greens and
fall short, it’s very hard to save the ball. You need to come up with a good
game plan. I will continue to do my best this week. My aim is still a top-10
finish.”

CHINA TOUR LOOKS TO ALIGN
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT WITH OLYMPICS

As the 2017 season heads into its third event on the schedule on
Thursday, the operations of the events have also matured. China Tour Chief
Legal Officer, Jino, explained: “The rules have to be standardized. A good
tournament relies on a mature system, and this includes on site operations
which is the foundation of the tournament. Secondly, it’s the organisers,
promoters, players rights and a reasonable income distribution. The tournament
will then attract fans to come and watch on site. Next, it’s the communication
and production system. Last but not least, it’s the branding of the sponsors
and the product design system.

“The Olympics system is the most reliable system to learn from. It’s
our aim to development our system to that level. It is the direction which we
are working towards. We still have a long way to go but we see the prospects of
how well-run our current events are and how effective it will be as we head
into the third tournament of the season this week,” he said.

Jino also promised: “We will, from the legal point of view, fully
support the establishment and effective operation of these systems, escorting
the Tour to greater heights in future. We firmly believe that once we build up
this system, it will be the greatest contribution to the growth of the China
tour and the development of the game. We hope these will gain more support and
attention from all walks of life.”

CHINA TOUR LAUNCHES NEW LOGO

The design of the logo was based on a golfer’s swing as the main theme,
and thereby bringing out a modern, dynamic and simple logo with a high visual
impact. The green part of the logo shows the vitality of the greens which the
blue are shows the swing of the player. The sky in the logo shows a golden
rainbow, depicting the energy of the Tour and its unlimited future. The
rainbow, at the same time, shows the connection between the China Tour and the
world. It is also the bridge for China players to get onto the world stage.

The logo brilliantly incorporated three of the Chinese character “人” which means spectators.
This reflects the popularity of the Tour and its players. It also shows that
the China Tour resolves around golf and the embracement of people from all
walks of life while striving to build an ambition of creating world-class tournament.

The bottom part of the logo show the Chinese character “心” which means heart. It
depicts the love of the game from fans, the determination to create world-class
events by the sponsors and promoters and the aim to win by players. The three
parts that made up the character also show the help and support from the
international golf tours to the China Tour. Without their help, the China Tour
will not be able to exist.

The overall color of the logo is bright and relaxed, showing the change from golf
being a rich men’s sport to a popular sport that appeals to the public. The new
logo also shows the dynamics of the Tour, indicating that the Tour will
progress swiftly and get to world-class level in no time to come.